Riegelwood, NC
Riegelwood, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Riegelwood sits at the 74th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 531 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Riegelwood's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 74th percentile nationally.
Riegelwood's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Riegelwood: 68% of its 531 buildings, versus 32% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Riegelwood compares
Riegelwood's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (76th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (74th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Riegelwood ranks 8,071 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,852 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 184 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Riegelwood and the insurance market
Riegelwood's high rating (74th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Riegelwood (68%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Riegelwood's figures come from
Riegelwood's 74th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Riegelwood's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.